UC Berkeley / Southside

Just south of the UC Berkeley campus lies the neighborhood known as Southside or South Campus. This is a bustling, student-oriented area that wins our vote for the most colorful and vibrant neighborhood in the East Bay. Students, homeowners and curious tourists happily meander through the endless cafes, eclectic bookstores, record shops, and ethnic restaurants lining busy Telegraph Avenue. This bustle of energy is reflective of the Southside's young population.
Southside is the proud home of works by Berkeley's first planners and architects. Julia Morgan, Bernard Maybeck, and other virtuoso architects designed many of the buildings, and Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of Central Park and Golden Gate Park) had a hand in planning the leafy residential streets southeast of campus. Their influences can be seen on the dense, tree-lined side streets where UC Berkeley and Southside real estate includes restored Victorians, Neo-Colonial boxes, vernacular-style bungalows, and shingled cottages. Many of these homes feature separate, self-contained "in-law" units, which provide additional income for homeowners who wish to rent them to students.
For an interesting exploration of the neighborhood, check out Bancroft Way that intersects Telegraph Avenue and runs along the southern boundary of campus. Sidewalks here are lined with stores and coffee houses frequented by students living in the residential areas above campus. The neighborhood is also home to the infamous "People's Park" and any afternoon spent exploring this area is sure to evoke the nostalgia of the 1960s and 70s that put Berkeley on the map, worldwide.